Community Health Outside the Exam Room: Extracurricular Learning to Augment Nurse Practitioner Student Practice Readiness.

BACKGROUND: The curricular requirements of nurse practitioner (NP) programs are well established. NP students' clinical practicums provide a context for the extracurricular acquisition of administrative, operational, and systems-focused NP skills. PROBLEM: Acquisition of extracurricular NP skills is variable and highly dependent on a student's clinical placements. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this variability by limiting students' access to traditional clinical rotations. APPROACH: With our practice partners, we inventoried the behaviors that are associated with new graduate NP readiness for practice in community health centers. We then developed an extracurricular seminar series to develop these behaviors. Each seminar in the series was presented by a preceptor. OUTCOMES: Students reported gains in their perceived readiness to practice. The casual format and preceptor presenters were highly valued by students. CONCLUSIONS: NP educators should consider leveraging academic-practice partnerships to standardize students' acquisition of administrative, operational, and systems-focused NP competencies.

Nurse Educators' Perceptions and Self-efficacy in Response to COVID-19: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurse educators had to adapt quickly to required changes in nursing education following isolation mandates. Educators worked diligently to provide a quality remote/online educational experience with limited resources. PURPOSE: The purpose of this review was to explore nurse educators' perceptions and self-efficacy toward the transformation from the traditional face-to-face teaching to remote/online teaching and simulation/laboratory modifications in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: A scoping review, informed by PRISMA-SCR guidelines, was performed in PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL Complete, OVID MEDLINE, and Google Scholar. RESULTS: There were 34 articles included in the final review, with 7 themes identified: teaching pedagogy, technology challenges, online teaching role, learning environment, leadership, clinical education, and well-being. CONCLUSIONS: The review is relevant to nursing faculty across the globe. Planning for future pandemics should include self-care, use of evidence-based practices, protocols, and increased communication.

Open Educational Resources in Nursing Curricula: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: This systematic review examined how nurse educators implement open educational resources (OER) in nursing curricula. The following three questions guided the review: (1) How do nurse educators use OER? (2) What are the outcomes of implementing OER within nursing curricula? (3) What are the effects of OER on nursing education? METHOD: The literature search focused on nursing educational research articles regarding OER. Databases searched included MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, and Google Scholar. Covidence was used throughout data collection to decrease bias. RESULTS: Eight studies that collected data from both students and educators were included in the review. OER were found to positively influence the learning process or improve class performance in nursing education. CONCLUSION: The finding of this review highlight the need for further research to strengthen the evidence of the effects of OER within nursing curricula. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(3):147-154.].

Relationships Between Remote Learning Modalities and Nursing Students' Perceptions of Their Sleep Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The relationship between learning modalities and nursing students' sleep quality during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic is unknown. PURPOSE: This study examined the relationships between remote learning and the sleep quality of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional descriptive design, 890 nursing students were surveyed online to identify sleeping habits and learning modalities. RESULTS: There were no significant correlations between remote learning hours, self-reported sleep hours, and sleep quality. The asynchronous-only group reported better sleep quality than the in-person and online hybrid group after controlling for health conditions and grade point average. Students who reported that remote learning had impacted their sleep had poorer sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides insight into how different learning modalities impact nursing students' sleep quality during the pandemic.

Impressions of the Nursing Profession Among Nursing Students and New Graduates During the First Wave of COVID-19: A Qualitative Content Analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has been a defining event for the next generation of the nursing workforce. Complex pandemic practice environments have raised concerns for the preparation and support of novice nurses, even as a multitude of nurses leave the profession. PURPOSE: Researchers sought to examine nursing students' and new graduate nurses' impressions of the nursing profession in contrasting regions of New York State during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: Inductive content analysis was performed on narrative text responses (n = 295) drawn from a larger multisite mixed-methods survey. RESULTS: Five subconcepts were abstracted, leading to the main concept of shocked moral distress . CONCLUSION: Nursing students and new graduate nurses have experienced high levels of moral distress but remain committed to the profession. Building moral resilience, fostering ethical decision making, and implementing protective policies can reduce the incidence of moral distress.

Choosing a Nursing Career During a Global Health Event: A Repeated Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: Although in the past, the decision to enter the nursing profession was mainly due to intrinsic motives, more recent generations present additional extrinsic career choice motives. The motivation of choosing a nursing career may be affected by global health events, such as COVID-19. PURPOSE: To examine the motivation for choosing a nursing career during COVID-19. METHODS: A repeated cross-sectional study was conducted among 211 first-year nursing students at a university in Israel. A questionnaire was distributed during 2020 and 2021. Linear regression evaluated the motives that predict choosing a nursing career during COVID-19. RESULTS: Intrinsic motives were the leading motives for choosing a nursing career in a univariate analysis. A multivariate linear model revealed that choosing a nursing career during the pandemic was associated with extrinsic motives (ß= .265, P < .001). Intrinsic motives did not predict choosing a nursing career during COVID-19. CONCLUSION: Reassessment of motives among candidates may help the efforts of faculty and nursing to recruit and retain nurses in the profession.

Reimagining a children's palliative care educational programme for registered nurses in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Children with life-limiting conditions are a unique population with multiple health and social care needs. Key literature indicates the need for education to support registered nurses providing care, including palliative care, to these children. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, a palliative care programme was converted to an online programme, adopting a blended approach between national and regional facilitators. OBJECTIVES: To assess nurses' satisfaction with a re-designed palliative care programme centred around the care of children with life-limiting conditions, including their perceptions of the online format. DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive correlational design and online survey was used to explore the participants' perception of the content and online delivery of the Care of the Child with a Life-Limiting Condition programme. Nine sessions, comprised of five national and four regional webinars, were delivered. RESULTS: Attendees registered (n = 169) from throughout the Republic of Ireland, with 130 attending all webinars. Attendees stated online delivery of education increased their accessibility to highly qualified experts. The short, concise nature of sessions was well received. Online delivery and recorded sessions contributed to convenience with the ability to access and process information in attendees' own time being welcomed. However, the negative impact of losing face-to-face interactions was noted, including the opportunity to build relationships with colleagues caring for children with life-limiting conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that the redesigned online programme contributed to participants' knowledge, encouraged participation and increased accessibility. An e-Learning model enables specialised education to be more equitable and accessible, ensuring regional areas are not disadvantaged due to geographical remoteness from tertiary educational centres. However, the lack of face-to-face contact was acknowledged as a hindrance to socialisation and networking. When developing future programmes, focus should be put on creating opportunities for networking and social development to compensate for the lack of face-to-face contact.

Transitioning a Graduate Nursing Physical Examination Skills Lab to an Online Learning Modality.

BACKGROUND: Continued restrictions imposed on face-to-face learning related to the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2) pandemic resulted in a decision to permanently transition a graduate nursing education advanced assessment course from a hybrid to an online learning modality. PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to describe the transition of the physical examination skills lab from face-to-face to online, compare advanced practice nursing student performance outcomes, and evaluate faculty satisfaction and student satisfaction and confidence in learning. METHODS: A retrospective comparison design was used to evaluate student outcomes. Surveys were used to evaluate faculty satisfaction and student satisfaction and confidence. RESULTS: Academic performance, including the psychomotor performance proficiency of advanced assessment skills, was comparable between the modalities. Students were satisfied with and confident in their learning of skills. Faculty support online delivery despite increased workload. CONCLUSIONS: Continued use of the online learning modality for teaching advanced physical examination skills is warranted.

Telehealth Competencies: Leveled for Continuous Advanced Practice Nurse Development.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic spurred a rapid uptake of telehealth utilization, with advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) at the forefront of telehealth care delivery. To advance training of nurse practitioners and support curricular development, essential APRN student competencies in telehealth were developed. PROBLEM: Although telehealth competencies have been developed, little is understood about their evaluation across the curricula. Moving to competency-based nursing education involves leveling broad competencies into subcompetencies, including those for telehealth. Subcompetencies support frequent, multimodal evaluation of student progress across APRN curricula. APPROACH: Adapting Benner's Novice to Expert Theory, faculty experts in telehealth and graduate nursing education used an iterative process to develop and level subcompetencies aligned with the Four Ps of Telehealth framework. OUTCOMES: Telehealth subcompetencies were leveled for preclinical and clinical rotations and for readiness for practice. CONCLUSIONS: The leveled subcompetencies, aligned with the Four Ps of Telehealth framework, will support APRN faculty in diverse programs as they implement competency-based education in telehealth.

Nursing Students' Dissatisfaction With Course Organization and Student Engagement in Remote Learning 1 Year Post-COVID-19 Restrictions.

BACKGROUND: Undergraduate and doctoral nursing students enrolled in face-to-face (F2F) learning transitioned abruptly to remote learning in March 2020. Few studies have focused on these nursing students' satisfaction with remote learning a year after the unplanned transition. PURPOSE: Undergraduate and doctoral students' satisfaction with remote and F2F learning regarding course organization and student engagement were examined. METHODS: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among 522 nursing students at a research intensive university in the eastern United States. Survey data were analyzed with an analysis of variance to compare students' remote and F2F learning satisfaction within the undergraduate and doctoral programs. RESULTS: Results indicated that nursing students who enrolled in F2F learning preferred F2F to remote learning (P < .001). Differences in satisfaction existed among programs (P = .035) and among undergraduate class levels (P < .001). CONCLUSION: It is essential to learn why nursing students were dissatisfied with remote learning to improve these types of learning experiences in the future.